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At least 1,675 records · Page 93

Partitioning of Ca to metastable precipitates in a Mg-rare earth alloy

The potential effect of the element Ca on the precipitation behavior was investigated in an Mg-rare earth alloy. A combination of metastable β''' and β' precipitates was observed for the peak aging condition at 200°C. Ca addition was found to have no significant effect on the precipitating phases and evolution sequence. Composition analysis showed that the Ca partitioned to both β''' and β' precipitate phases. First-principles calculations indicated that Ca partitions to the rare-earth sublattice in the precipitate phase. This finding suggests the potential of Ca to partially replace costly rare-earth elements in precipitation-hardened Mg-rare earth alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Electric-field tuning of a planar terahertz metamaterial based on strained SrTiO 3 layers

Here, we demonstrate a metamaterial exhibiting a frequency-tunable response in the terahertz domain, controlled by a bias electric field. The active part of the metamaterial consists of a periodic metallic pattern deposited on a thin epitaxially strained strontium titanate film. The role of the metallic structure is two-fold: it gives rise to the metamaterial resonance and it enables applying an electric bias to the strontium titanate layer. The strained film exhibits a pronounced dependence of its permittivity on the bias, which exerts a strong influence on the resonance. Specifically, the resonance of our structure occurs near 0.5 THz and, upon applying a bias voltage of 55 V, a relative tunability of the resonance frequency of 19% was achieved at room temperature.

terahertz waves↗

Deformation in amorphous–crystalline nanolaminates—an effective-temperature theory and interaction between defects

Experiments and atomic-scale simulations suggest that the transmission of plasticity carriers in deforming amorphous–crystalline nanolaminates is mediated by the biphase interface between the amorphous and crystalline layers. In this study, we present a micromechanics model for these biphase nanolaminates that describes defect interactions through the amorphous–crystalline interface (ACI). The model is based on an effective-temperature framework to achieve a unified description of the slow, configurational atomic rearrangements in both phases when driven out of equilibrium. We show how the second law of thermodynamics constrains the density of defects and the rate of configurational rearrangements, and apply this framework to dislocations in crystalline solids and shear transformation zones (STZs) in amorphous materials. The effective-temperature formulation enables us to interpret the observed movement of dislocations to the ACI and the production of STZs at the interface as a 'diffusion' of configurational disorder across the material. Finally, we demonstrate favorable agreement with experimental findings reported in (Kim et al 2011 Adv. Funct. Mater. 21 4550–4), and demonstrate how the ACI acts as a sink of dislocations and a source of STZs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Single crystalline ZnO radial homojunction light-emitting diodes fabricated by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition

ZnO radial p–n junction architecture has the potential for forward-leap of light-emitting diode (LED) technology in terms of higher efficacy and economical production. Here, we report on ZnO radial p–n junction-based light emitting diodes prepared by full metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) with hydrogen-assisted p-type doping approach. The p-type ZnO(P) thin films were prepared by MOCVD with the precursors of dimethylzinc, tert-butanol, and tertiarybutylphosphine. Controlling the precursor flow for dopant results in the systematic change of doping concentration, Hall mobility, and electrical conductivity. Moreover, the approach of hydrogen-assisted phosphorous doping in ZnO expands the understanding of doping behaviour in ZnO. Ultraviolet and visible electroluminescence of ZnO radial p–n junction was demonstrated through a combination of position-controlled nano/microwire and crystalline p-type ZnO(P) radial shell growth on the wires. Lastly, the reported research opens a pathway of realisation of production-compatible ZnO p–n junction LEDs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Reversible to irreversible transitions for ac driven skyrmions on periodic substrates

Abstract Using atomistic simulations, we investigate the dynamical behavior of magnetic skyrmions in dimer and trimer molecular crystal arrangements, as well as bipartite lattices at 3/2 and 5/2 fillings, under ac driving over a square array of anisotropy defects. For low ac amplitudes, at all fillings reversible motion appears in which the skyrmions return to their original positions at the end of each ac drive cycle and the diffusion is zero. We also identify two distinct irreversible regimes. The first is a translating regime in which the skyrmions form channels of flow in opposing directions and translate by one substrate lattice constant per ac drive cycle. The translating state appears in the dimer and trimer arrangements, and produces pronounced peaks in the diffusivity in the direction perpendicular to the external drive. For larger ac amplitudes, we find chaotic irreversible motion in which the skyrmions can randomly exchange places with each other over time, producing long-time diffusive behavior both parallel and perpendicular to the ac driving direction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mid-infrared materials and devices on a Si platform for optical sensing

In this article, we review our recent work on mid-infrared (mid-IR) photonic materials and devices fabricated on silicon for on-chip sensing applications. Pedestal waveguides based on silicon are demonstrated as broadband mid-IR sensors. Our low-loss mid-IR directional couplers demonstrated in SiNx waveguides are useful in differential sensing applications. Photonic crystal cavities and microdisk resonators based on chalcogenide glasses for high sensitivity are also demonstrated as effective mid-IR sensors. Polymer-based functionalization layers, to enhance the sensitivity and selectivity of our sensor devices, are also presented. We discuss the design of mid-IR chalcogenide waveguides integrated with polycrystalline PbTe detectors on a monolithic silicon platform for optical sensing, wherein the use of a low-index spacer layer enables the evanescent coupling of mid-IR light from the waveguides to the detector. Finally, we show the successful fabrication processing of our first prototype mid-IR waveguide-integrated detectors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Combinatorial synthesis and high-throughput characterization of copper-oxide superconductors

Fast synthesis and screening of materials are vital to the advance of materials science and are an essential component of the Materials Genome Initiative. We use copper-oxide superconductors as an example to demonstrate the power of integrating combinatorial molecular beam epitaxy synthesis with high-throughput electric transport measurements. Leveraging this method, we have generated a phase diagram with more than 800 compositions in order to unravel the doping dependence of interface superconductivity. In another application of the same method, we have studied the superconductor-to-insulator quantum phase transition with unprecedented accuracy in tuning the chemical doping level.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Local moments in the heterogeneous electronic state of Cd-substituted CeCoIn 5 : NQR relaxation rates

Here, we have used nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) to probe microscopically the response of a prototypical quantum critical metal CeCoIn 5 to substitutions of small amounts of Cd for In. Approximately half of the Cd substituents induce local Ce moments in their close proximity, as observed by site-dependent longitudinal nuclear spin relaxation rates 1/T 1 . In order to reaffirm that localized f moments are induced around the Cd substituents, we find a Gaussian spin-echo decay rate 1/T 2G of transverse nuclear spin relaxation. Furthermore, ${T}_{1}T/{T}_{2\text{G}}^{2}$ for the NQR subpeak is found to be proportional to temperatures, again indicating local moments fluctuations around the Cd substituents, while that for the NQR main peak shows a T 0.7 -dependence. The latter temperature dependence is close to 0.75 in pure CeCoIn 5 and indicates that the bulk electronic state is located close to a two dimensional quantum critical instability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Enhanced light–matter interaction of aligned armchair graphene nanoribbons using arrays of plasmonic nanoantennas

We couple photoluminescent semiconducting 7-atom wide armchair edge graphene nanoribbons to plasmonic nanoantenna arrays and demonstrate an enhancement of the photoluminescence and Raman scattering intensity of the nanoribbons by more than an order of magnitude averaged over large areas, and by three orders of magnitude in the hot spots of plasmonic antennas. The increase in signal allows us to study Raman spectra with high signal-to-noise ratio. Using plasmonic enhancement we are able to detect the off-resonant Raman scattering from the modified radial breathing-like mode (RBLM) due to physisorbed molecules, the 3rd order RBLM, and C-H vibrations. We find excellent agreement between experimental data and simulations describing the spectral dependence of the enhancement and modifications of the polarization anisotropy. The strong field gradients in the optical near-field further allow us to probe the subwavelength coherence properties of the phonon modes in the nanoribbons. We theoretically model this considering a finite phonon correlation length along the GNR direction. Our results allow estimating the correlation length in graphene nanoribbons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Low-temperature processed beta-phase In 2 Se 3 ferroelectric semiconductor thin film transistors

As scaling becomes increasingly difficult, there is growing interest in vertical or three-dimensional stacking of transistors and especially memory. Ferroelectric semiconductor field effect transistors can be key enablers to improve energy efficiency and overall chip and memory performance. In this work, low-temperature processed, back-end-of-the-line compatible transistors were demonstrated by depositing a layered chalcogenide ferroelectric semiconductor, beta-phase In 2 Se 3 , at temperature as low as 400 °C. Top gate n-channel In 2 Se 3 thin film transistors were fabricated with field-effect mobility ∼1 cm 2 V −1 s −1 , and simple polarization switching based memory results are presented.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Spin injection by spin–charge coupling in proximity induced magnetic graphene

Abstract Within the field of spintronics major efforts are directed towards developing applications for spin-based transport devices made fully out of two-dimensional materials. In this work we present an experimental realization of a spin-valve device where the generation of the spin signal is exclusively attributed to the spin-dependent conductivity of the magnetic graphene resulting from the proximity of an interlayer antiferromagnet, chromium sulfide bromide (CrSBr). We clearly demonstrate that the usage of the conventional air-sensitive 3D magnetic contacts can be fully avoided when graphene/CrSBr heterostructures are employed. Moreover, apart from providing exceptionally long spin relaxation length, the usage of graphene for both generation and transport of the spin allows to automatically avoid the conductivity mismatch between the source and the channel circuits that has to be considered when using conventional low-resistive contacts. Our results address a necessary step in the engineering of spintronic circuitry out of layered materials and precede further developments in the area of complex spin-logic devices. Moreover, we introduce a fabrication procedure where we designed and implemented a recipe for the preparation of electrodes via a damage-free technique that offers an immediate advantage in the fields of air-sensitive and delicate organic materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of environmental screening and strain on optoelectronic properties of two-dimensional quantum defects

Point defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are promising candidates as single-photon emitters (SPEs) in nanophotonics and quantum information applications. The precise control of SPEs requires in-depth understanding of their optoelectronic properties. However, how the surrounding environment of host materials, including the number of layers, substrates, and strain, influences SPEs has not been fully understood. Here, in this work, we study the dielectric screening effect due to the number of layers and substrates, and the strain effect on the optical properties of carbon dimer and nitrogen vacancy defects in hBN from first-principles many-body perturbation theory. We report that environmental screening causes a lowering of the quasiparticle gap and exciton binding energy, leading to nearly constant optical excitation energy and exciton radiative lifetime. We explain the results with an analytical model starting from the Bethe–Salpeter equation Hamiltonian with Wannier basis. We also show that optical properties of quantum defects are largely tunable by strain with highly anisotropic response, in good agreement with experimental measurements. Our work clarifies the effect of environmental screening and strain on optoelectronic properties of quantum defects in two-dimensional insulators, facilitating future applications of SPEs and spin qubits in low-dimensional systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mechanical response of shape-recovering metamaterial structures fabricated by additive manufacturing

Abstract Three different metamaterial structures were fabricated using stereolithography 3D printing and a shape recovering material. Mechanical properties and recovery efficiency were assessed after compression testing. All three structures exhibited similar initial specific compressive moduli, while the highest specific toughness was observed for the stretch-dominated structure. The three metamaterial structures were re-tested after shape recovery. Significant strengthening was observed for all structures, with the bend-stretch-dominated structure strengthening to the highest degree. This strengthening phenomenon was characterized as strain hardening. It was found that the strengthening is highly geometry dependent. The geometry with stretch-dominated behavior exhibited the highest mechanical properties after a second test was performed. Improvements in specific toughness of up to 67% were observed after the second compressive test.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Pure spin current injection of single-layer monochalcogenides

We compute the spectrum of pure spin current injection in ferroelectric single-layer SnS, SnSe, GeS, and GeSe. The formalism takes into account the coherent spin dynamics of optically excited conduction states split in energy by spin–orbit coupling. The velocity of the electron's spins is calculated as a function of incoming photon energy and angle of linearly polarized light within a full electronic band structure scheme using density functional theory. We find peak speeds of 520, 360, 270 and 370 Km s -1 for SnS, SnSe, GeS and GeSe, respectively which are an order of magnitude larger than those found in bulk semiconductors, e.g., GaAs and CdSe. Interestingly, the spin velocity is almost independent of the direction of polarization of light in a range of photon energies. Our results demonstrate that single-layer SnS, SnSe, GeS and GeSe are candidates to produce on demand spin-current in spintronics applications.

2D-monochalcogenides↗

Dynamical structure factors of warm dense matter from time-dependent orbital-free and mixed-stochastic-deterministic density functional theory

Abstract We present the first calculations of the inelastic part of the dynamical structure factor (DSF) for warm dense matter (WDM) using time-dependent orbital-free density functional theory (TD-OF-DFT) and mixed-stochastic-deterministic (mixed) Kohn Sham TD-DFT (KS TD-DFT). WDM is an intermediate phase of matter found in planetary cores and laser-driven experiments, where the accurate calculation of the DSF is critical for interpreting x-ray Thomson scattering measurements. Traditional TD-DFT methods, while highly accurate, are computationally expensive, motivating the exploration of TD-OF-DFT and mixed TD-KS-DFT as more efficient alternatives. We applied these methods to experimentally measured WDM systems, including solid-density aluminum and beryllium, compressed beryllium, and carbon–hydrogen mixtures. Our results show that TD-OF-DFT requires a dynamical kinetic energy potential in order to qualitatively capture the plasmon response. Additionally, it struggles with capturing bound electron contributions. In contrast, mixed TD-KS-DFT offers greater accuracy in distinguishing bound and free electron effects, aligning well with experimental data, though at a higher computational cost. This study highlights the trade-offs between computational efficiency and accuracy, demonstrating that TD-OF-DFT remains a valuable tool for rapid scans of parameter space, while mixed TD-KS-DFT should be preferred for high-fidelity simulations. Our findings provide insight into the future development of DFT methods for WDM and suggest potential improvements for TD-OF-DFT.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗